Collide
by Mrs.Monster
Summary: Autumn and her daughter Brille are Southie's newest residents. When she meets the MacManus brothers, she doesn't realize that her life has changed forever. She and Connor collide in the best possible way. On TEMP hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing even remotely related to The Boondock Saints.**

**Collide**

**Chapter 1**

**November 2, 1997**

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><p>Autumn's heart dropped into her stomach as she stood on the cracked sidewalk, looking up at the apartment building. Her apartment building. Their new home. She looked down at the little girl clutching her hand. Her daughter was looking up at the building, not with her mother's dread and dismay, but with that special childish excitement that seemed to ooze out of every part of her tiny body. Brille was practically vibrating, impatient to get inside and discover the next part of this new adventure. A throat cleared impatiently behind her, and Autumn shook her head, moving aside so the movers could do their jobs. She and Brille followed the last of her money to the building as the movers hauled the first load of their things up to the forth floor loft.<p>

The ride in the elevator was awkwardly silent. Brille slid her hand out of Autumn's to pull her gloves off and shove them into her mother's hands. Autumn folded them together and put them into her pocket as Brille began to tug at one of the mover's pant legs, an enormous man with a shiny bald head and thick gray mustache. He cocked an eyebrow and looked down at the little red-headed girl who demanded his attention.

"What happened to your hair?" Brille asked. Autumn felt her face flush. Three-year old little girls simply did not grasp the concept of politeness. To her relief, he just chuckled and said, "I shaved it all off."

"Why?" The ever-asked question.

"Because it makes me look tougher," he said with a wink down at her. "Don't you think it makes me look tougher?" he asked Brille.

"Oh yes," she breathed in answer. "You're the hugest person I've ever seen." The man laughed just as the elevator lurched to a stop, and his companion slid the door up and open. Autumn and Brille stepped out first, and Autumn fished the key that had been mailed to her out of her coat pocket and unlocked the heavy, rusted metal door.

She bit her lip, trying not to let herself burst into tears. The place was a mess. The cement floor was covered in grime, bottles scattered across it, some broken into tiny, dangerous shards. Reflexively, Autumn scooped Brille up into her arms, perching her on a cocked hip. She took a hesitant step inside, edging around the assorted debris on the floor. The movers came in behind her, glass crunching under their boots; they obviously weren't surprised over the state of the apartment. Autumn was just relieved that her broom and other cleaning supplies were in this first load. As the two burly men began to stock boxes, tubs and bags in one corner of the 'living area', Autumn held Brille with one arm, and pulled her broom and dust pan out of where it had been packed into her washed-out kitchen trash can. It was incredibly awkward sweeping with one arm, but she managed to clear a spot she deemed clean enough for Brille to stand while she swept the rest of the wide open space.

She made quick work of it. There was too much to sweep up into the dustpan, so she made a pile in a corner of the main living space until she could get her trash can completely unpacked. Leaving Brille standing in front of the sink in the kitchen, Autumn turned to face the apartment with her hands on her hips. She would make this work. She _had _to make this work. It was a loft in nearly every sense of the word; one of the nicer ones according to the owner. She rolled her eyes, assuming that he was referring to the one closed off bedroom, and the enclosed bathroom. It wouldn't have worked any other way; Brille had to have a bedroom, and Autumn wasn't comfortable to shower in front of her daughter.

The main area of the place was rather large, large enough for her to close off a space for her bed and dresser. One large window stretched along the east wall, the only window in the apartment. The kitchen was a row of counter-topped cabinets, a sink square in the middle and flanked by an old stove that looked like it hadn't had a scrub brush taken to it in the last ten years. The kitchen floor was cracked linoleum, separated from the cement floors by a thin strip of metal. Now that her initial dismay had passed, she realized that she could work with this. She could make this theirs. The movers were continuing their back and forth trips, carrying the memories and possessions from her home of seven years in their meaty arms.

Once the movers were finished, and sufficiently tipped, they left, the one with the grey mustache patting Brille on the head on his way out.

"Mama, Mama, Mama," Brille pulled on the bottom of Autumn's shirt, and Autumn breathed deep, trying for patience that seemed immeasurably short as of late. She forced a smile onto her face, and looked down at her daughter.

"Yes, Brille?" her voice was calm, not giving away any of the inner turmoil she was feeling.

"I'm hungry, Mama. And I hafta pee." Autumn ran her fingers through Brille's flame-colored hair, a genuine smile on her face.

"Of course, honey." Noticing the way her daughter was prancing around, Autumn thought they should take care of the most imminent problem. At her first glance of the bathroom, Autumn suppressed the urge to scream and slam the door closed. As it was, she made Brille wait while she dashed into the other room and grabbed a spray-can of disinfectant and a dish-wiper. Once she was satisfied that her daughter wouldn't catch anything from sitting on the toilet seat, she gave Brille some privacy by turning around and facing the bathroom door.

Autumn bundled Brille back up in her coat, gloves and hat, holding her hand as they walked out of the apartment. Autumn paused to lock the door behind them, and then they left the building, in search of a place to eat. The kitchen in the apartment was no where near fit enough to cook in yet, and as soon as Brille mentioned that she was hungry, Autumn's own stomach began to growl. The wind was bitterly cold as they walked down the sidewalk. The entire neighborhood seemed like it'd been swallowed up in a fog of gray; the buildings, the streets, the sky, all listless, reflecting Autumn's own inner mood. The clouds blocked out the sun Autumn so desperately wanted to see and feel again. Brille pulled on Autumn's hand again to get her attention.

"I wanna eat here, Mama," Brille said, pointing over to a diner called 'Grill Seekers'. It looked like the basic greasy-spoon place, and Brille was already walking toward it. Autumn shrugged, thinking, _why not_? They pushed through the glass doors and Brille rushed and scrambled up onto one of the tall stools that lined the counter. The rest of the diner was made up of booths, scarred white tabletops with red vinyl seats. Autumn climbed up on the stool next to Brille, and smiled at the waitress who brought them menus. The food was cheap, which was perfect, and the waitress was back soon to take their orders.

The waitresses name-tag read 'Sally'. Sally had dye-red hair that was piled on top of her head, and listing slightly to the side. She wore an outdated pink waitress uniform, and her eyes were tired as she smiled at Autumn and Brille, taking the order ticket to the kitchen. Brille swung her legs, swinging back and forth on her stool, and Autumn leaned her elbows on the chipped formica countertop, watching her daughter, her mood lifting slightly. A brown mug filled to the brim with steaming coffee was set in front of her. She looked up at Sally, whose lips quirked knowingly. Giving a grateful nod of the head, Autumn wrapped both hands around the mug, letting the warmth seep into her hands. She sipped at it, drinking it black, loving the bitter taste.

Their food arrived then, and Brille let out a happy giggle at the ketchup happy face that was drawn onto her open-faced hamburger. Autumn knew that this diner would become a regular place for them.

She and Brille walked back to their apartment hand-in-hand, stomachs full with good food and a decidedly more upbeat air around the both of them.

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><p>The movers had put Brille's twin-sized bed into the small bedroom, and Autumn decided that for the sake of a stab at normalcy for her daughter, that she should unpack Brille's things first. Brille was thrilled with the idea, instantly stating that hers would be 'the most beautiful room in the world'. Autumn could only chuckle and shake her head, shifting boxes until she found the one with Brille's bedding inside. With Brille attempting to 'help' every step of the way, Autumn swept, mopped and disinfected every inch of the bedroom before beginning to move the rest of her daughter's belongings inside.<p>

Clothes were re-folded and stacked neatly in the four-drawer white dresser that matched the headboard of the bed. Autumn felt a pang of sadness when she thought of her daughter's soft pink bedroom in their old house. These walls were gray, once a stark white, she was sure, but years of dirt, grime, smoke, and who knew what else had faded the paint. She tried to squash her once-again dismal mood, and joined her daughter, who was busy setting her dolls up just-so around the small table and set of chairs Autumn had arranged in one corner of the room. Soft pink sheets went onto the bed, followed by Brille's comforter, decorated with large, red, cartoonish ladybugs.

Soon after, they were nearly done, and when Autumn glanced at her watch, she was surprised to find that it was nearly nine o'clock. She told Brille that the picture hanging would have to wait until the morning, and as a testament to just how tired her daughter was, she didn't protest. Autumn pulled a pair of thick flannel pajamas out, and helped Brille change, then tucked her into bed.

"I like our new house, Mama," Brille said, smiling up at her mother, her peridot-green eyes already beginning to close.

"I'm glad you like it, baby," Autumn told her, "now you go to sleep. Do you need your night light?"

"I'm a big girl now, big girls don't use silly old night lights."

"Of course, how silly of me," she kissed her daughter's forehead. "Goodnight, sweetheart."

"G'night, Mama," Brille mumbled sleepily, and Autumn left the room, leaving the door cracked just in case.

She surveyed the rest of the apartment from just outside the bedroom door. She was tempted to just sweep everything that was stacked on top of her bed to the floor, and collapse onto it. She nearly gave in, but she knew that she would never be able to sleep leaving such a big mess. She sighed, pulling a hair-tie out of her jeans pocked, pulling her long, dark hair back and out of her face. She couldn't put anything away until everything was cleaned, so using the same supplies she used in Brille's room, she began in the kitchen and methodically scrubbed, working away her anxiety as she did so. The floor shined like it hadn't in years, she was sure, and she moved on to the countertops and cabinets, then to the stove that was so caked with grime that it took nearly an hour until it was to her satisfaction. Having already swept the rest of the apartment earlier, it didn't take Autumn long to have it mopped. Most of the white paint that covered the cement floor chipped off, it's surface not used to the cleaning chemicals she used, or any cleaner at all.

She was finally satisfied, and another look at her watch told her that her cleaning had kept her up past midnight. She briefly entertained thoughts of a shower, but quickly changed her mind; she was entirely too tired. Her full sized bed had been deposited in the middle of the main living area, and she dug a set of sheets out, deftly making the bed then spreading out her navy-and-cream comforter. Changing into a pair of light blue sleep pants and a white fitted T-shirt, Autumn left her hair up and crawled under the sheets.

Her body was exhausted, but, like most nights, her mind didn't seem to want to shut off. She lay in the dark, lights from the city outside dimly illuminated the room, casting everything in yellowish shadow. Every night Autumn climbed into bed, and the aching loneliness would set in, a dull ache that spread from her chest into her belly. It was at night, when the day had settled, that she missed Gerry the most.

It'd been two years since he had been taken from her, and she missed him daily, especially when Brille would do something that was so undoubtedly something she had inherited from her father. But when she was alone her grief settled over her like a blanket, and she would often find tears sliding down her face as she lay alone in the bed they had once shared.

To distract herself, she thought of the job she would be starting a week from today. A meat packing plant. Her stomach turned at the thought, sure that she wouldn't be able to eat any kind of meat again after the first day. But it was a paycheck, and money was something that she needed desperately. That meant that she had a full week to set their home to rights, and she issued herself that challenge.

When Autumn fell asleep that night, for the first time since her husband died, it wasn't with tear tracks down her face, but with a head full of plans.

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><p><strong>First chapter of my first Boondock Saints fic. The boys will make their first apperance in the next chapter, and this first chapter was mostly just to introduce the OC's of the story.<strong>

**This story takes place before the first movie, up to a certain point. I think around chapter fifteen it will catch up with the beginning of the movie. Fret not, there will be lots of MacManus action.**

**Also, there's a banner for this story, a wonderful graphic made by my fic-life partner, lifelesslyndsey. It will give you an idea of what Autumn and Brille look like. The link is on my profile page.**

**Review, if you'd like.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing even remotely related to the Boondock Saints. Not even a copy of the dvd. I dvr'd that shit.**

**Collide**

**Chapter 2**

**November 10, 1997**

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><p>Autumn swallowed around the lump that had formed in her throat. In her mind, she could still see the look Brille had given her when she'd dropped her off at All Shapes and Sizes DayCare. This was a new experience for both of them, and she kept telling herself that they would both adjust. Children were adaptable, thank God, and Brille, she hoped, would come to love Miss Beth and the other children her age. She huddled more into her coat, the frigid wind biting at her skin. Autumn walked the last three blocks to the meat packing plant. When she was only a block away, she could smell it. She could smell the coppery scent of blood, the harsh scents of chemicals and disinfectants, and another under-lying odor that she couldn't name. It was anything but pleasant.<p>

There were two doors. One was propped open, and she could hear the sounds of the plant and the workers inside. The other was white-painted metal, the word Office stenciled on, the letters chipping away. She pulled the latter door open and stepped into an industrialized office. The walls were stark white, gray carpet under her feet. There was no furniture, save for two metal desks and a small table holding a coffee pot on its top. At one sat a middle-aged woman, her blonde hair pulled back into a severe pony-tail. She wore a cable-knit sweater and slacks, and Autumn imagined that she acted as receptionist. At the other sat a balding man wearing a long white coat over his clothes. He was shuffling through files on his desk, and looked up when Autumn let the door fall shut behind her. Autumn pasted a smile on her face, and walked passed the receptionist's desk (her name plate read Susan Bowman), to where her new boss was sitting.

"Autumn?" he asked, and she was surprised to hear the Irish lilt in his voice. "Autumn Harper?" Autumn nodded, and cleared her throat before speaking.

"That's me, are you Mr. Donalds?" she asked. "I hope I'm not late." She knew perfectly well that she wasn't.

"No, no, you're right on time," he answered and stood from his desk. "Come on then, let's get you set up and I'll take you to meet Murphy. He's the one who'll be training you today." She nodded and followed him through a door at the far end of the office into a small locker room. A row of hooks lined one wall, a few with the same type of white coat he wore hanging from them. The opposite wall was lined with rows of lockers. He lead her to one on the far end, right next to another door that had Operating Floor stenciled on it, and twisted the knob on the front, swinging the locker open.

"You can put your coat and purse and lunch in here," Mr. Donalds told her, and she did just that. He closed the locker again, and pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to her. On it was her locker combination, and under that was a different five digit number. "The second number is your employee number. You'll need it to clock in and out." Autumn nodded again and slipped the paper into her jeans pocket. Mr. Donalds handed her one of the white coats, and as she put it on, he pulled a box down from on top of the lockers. "Hair nets," he told her. "You can't go out onto the floor without one."

"Okay," she said, pulling one out. Autumn twisted her long, dark pony-tail up and put the hair net on, grabbing a pair of latex gloves from the next box he pulled down. As she put the gloves on, Mr. Donalds took her through the times and rules for lunch-and-smoke breaks, and she listened closely. This was the first job Autumn had had since high-school, and she didn't want to mess anything up.

"Now, the fellow who's training you," Mr. Donalds began.

"Murphy?"

"Yeah, Murphy. He and his brother Connor -twins, you know- they like to mess around. Since it's your first day, they'll probably give you a hard time, but just go with it. Once you get to know them, I think you'll like them. They sure make this old place entertaining." Autumn gulped, and assured him that she wouldn't take anything to heart. Mr. Donalds pulled open the door leading out onto the floor, and all of the smells tripled in intensity. Autumn took a deep breath, and tried not to breath through her nose as she followed her boss through the doors.

Once she got a look at the place, Autumn knew she had been right with her earlier assumption. She doubted that she would ever eat meat again, let alone serve it to Brille. Slabs of meat hung from hooks that dangled from the ceiling. Workers cut, sawed and chopped, and Autumn found out that the stench of disinfectant came from the workers sanitizing their tools regularly. _Well, there's that, at least, _she thought. She'd stopped just outside the door, but her boss apparently hadn't noticed, and she hurried to catch up with him.

When she caught up, Mr. Donalds was talking to a dark-haired man who had a distinct air of mischief around him. He was tall, but not quite six feet, with a boxy build. He looked over their boss's shoulder at her, and frowned deeply.

"I was hoping you'd be blonde," he said, first thing. Another accent, Murphy's with a much thicker brogue. "I've an arsenal of blonde jokes. Nothing for a brunette." He sighed, clearly put-out. Then, a hopeful look came into his eyes. "Is it possible you were _once _a blonde?" Autumn felt a smile tugging at her lips.

"No, sorry." Another sigh from Murphy.

"Ah, well, can't have everything. I guess I'll take it easy on you. At least you're a pretty one," he said, grinning at her. Autumn caught herself grinning back, and followed him as he turned back to the station he'd been working at before they'd interrupted.

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><p>During her lunch break, while Autumn worked her way through a turkey-and-mustard sandwich, she met Murphy's twin Connor. He was the light to his brother's dark. His light brown hair and ruggedly tanned skin was in complete contrast to Murphy's near black and almost translucent skin. Connor had light peridot eyes- similar to her daughter's- where Murphy had dark emerald eyes.<p>

She sat across from them, quiet, simply amused to watch the back-and-forth banter between the two. Their current topic of conversation was, of all things, the supernatural.

"Complete bullshit. Complete, and utter bullshit," Connor said, his accent just as thick -and delicious- as his brother's.

"C'mon, Conn," Murphy said. "Don't be so fuckin' thick. What about that movie we watched the other night? What was it? The fuckin' Exorcist."

"It was a fuckin' movie, Murph. Not real life, you idiot."

"It was based on real life, you jackass." Their thick Irish lilts turned "you" into "ya" and "bullshit" into "bullshite". Autumn sipped Sprite through a thin straw, and watched the two of them. Connor hit Murphy upside the head for calling him a jackass, and Murphy gave him a shot to the chest in rebuttal. Mr. Donalds, who was sitting at the far end of the room away from them, his back to the corner, shouted at them to cut it out. With a few grumbles, they did so, each picking up their own sandwich and biting into it. Murphy was fiddling with the wrapper of his sandwich, but Connor was watching her, a cigarette already between two of his fingers in preparation of when the last bite was gone.

"So, lass," he said after washing a bite down with some soda.

"Autumn."

A smile twitched his lips. "Right, Autumn. How're you liking it so far?" Non-committal shrug. "Well, are you thinking you'll stick around? A pretty face like yours is a rare thing 'round here." Murphy saying the same thing just a few hours ago didn't make her feel near as good as when Connor said it. She found herself blushing slightly when she shrugged again and answered.

"I kind of have too. It's a job, and it's a paycheck." Connor gave her a nod that told her he completely understood, then turned his full attention to his lunch.

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><p>Autumn's feet hurt like hell when she finally used the employee id number that her boss had given her to clock out at five o'clock that evening. As she walked to All Shapes and Sizes to pick Brille up, though, she realized that she felt better. Better than she had in a while.<p>

Brille rushed into her arms the moment the stepped through the door to the daycare, and Autumn noticed that while her daughter looked tired, she also looked happy.

After thanking Miss Beth profusely for taking care of Brille, Autumn lifted her small daughter in her arms, and carried her the five blocks, listening to Brille mumble sleepily about her day.

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><p><strong>Chapter two, and the introduction of the MacManus boys. I hope you enjoyed.<strong>

**Remember to check out the graphic for this story, the link is on my profile.**

**Review, if you'd like. (Please. No, seriously. Every time you read and don't review, someone, somewhere, kicks a kitten. And a puppy. They're lined up and kicked simultaneously. End the cruelty. Do it for the cute animal babies.)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own nothing even remotely related to The Boondock Saints.**

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><p><strong>Collide<strong>

**Chapter Three**

**November 11, 1997**

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><p>Autumn listened halfway as Brille jabbered around her toothbrush and through a mouth full of toothpaste. Her vivacious daughter stood on a stool in front of the sink while Autumn sat on the edge of the tub, running a brush through her hair. She sat the brush down on the little cabinet that she'd situated between the tub and the sink and picked a few loose hairs off her jean-clad legs and plain blue t-shirt. She got a hair-tie out of a small basket that sat on top of the cabinet and pulled her hair back into a messy bun, securing it with bobby-pins. Brille hopped down off her stool and raced into the living room to put her shoes on. She had gotten over her apprehensions concerning her daycare-it was all she could talk about the night before.<p>

Autumn helped Brille into her coat before pulling on her own. They were leaving earlier today, Autumn going in to work at the normal 6 a.m. instead of 8 as she had on her first day. After locking the door behind them, Autumn took Brille's hand in hers and lead the way to the elevators. She let Brille press the button (why such a thing was so exciting, she'd never know) and they stood back, waiting for the doors to slide open. When they did, not a minute later, it was with a surprise inside.

Connor and Murphy stood inside the elevator. From the looks on their faces, they were just as surprised as she was, and even more so when they saw the little girl that clutched her hand. Murphy was the first to speak.

"Well, small world, isn't it?" His accent turned 'isn't it' to 'innit'.

"Guess so," Autumn replied, stepping into the elevator with Brille in tow.

"Mama," Brille whispered, staring up at the two men. "Mama, they talk funny." Autumn blushed with embarrassment.

"Brille!" she scolded. "Don't be rude." She could hear Connor chuckle behind her.

"It's alright," he said, reaching down to pat Brille on the head. Brille dodged, not wanting her pig tails mussed. Connor smiled wider. "She's an adorable little thing." Brille wrinkled her nose at the somewhat baby-ish talk, but kept silent.

They parted ways at the front entrance of the apartment building, Autumn and Brille to the left, Connor and Murphy to the right. There were mild farewells, and 'see you at works', then Autumn lifted Brille up into her arms, headed toward Brille's daycare.

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><p>Thankfully there were no tears when Autumn dropped Brille off, and she'd made it to the meat factory right on time, clocking in a exactly 6 am. Autumn found Murphy on the work floor after she'd hair-netted, rubber-gloved and sterilized. As he continued to show her what he'd started the day before, Autumn felt herself settling into a routine. Slice, pack, sanitize, slice, pack, sanitize. The only thing to break the monotony were Connor and Murphy's antics. The highlight of the day had been when Connor had replaced Murphy's lunch with a large amount of pig-innards.<p>

"_You motherfucker!" _Murphy had yelled, tossing the innards in Connor's direction, which he deftly dodged, laughing his ass off.

"_Hey! Watch it. That's your fuckin' mother, too." _

They'd had to scrub the break room after that, but Autumn could hear them laughing whenever she'd passed by the door.

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><p>It was after six when Autumn picked Brille up from daycare. Her daughter was happy as a clam when she'd arrived, jabbering nonstop on the walk home about her new friends, the games they'd played, and about how she'd learned to draw a triangle that day. They ran into Connor and Murphy again, this time in the lobby. They both waved a greeting and held the elevator door open for her and Brille.<p>

"Hey mister," Brille said, looking up at Murphy. He looked down at her, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his black peacoat.

"Yes?"

"How come you guys talk funny like you do?" Autumn groaned, but Connor just flashed her a smile, letting her know that it was no big deal.

"Because we're from Ireland, little one," Murphy told her.

"Is that real, real far away?" she asked.

"Why, yes it is." Brille seemed to think deeply for a moment, the she gave Murphy her most blinding smile.

"I like you. You're my friend now. You wanna come and eat dinner with us?" Autumn opened her mouth to intervene, but Murphy beat her to it.

"Perhaps you should as your Ma first, little one," he said to her. Brille looked up at her mother, her peridot eyes wide with pleading.

"Can he, Mama? Can he _please_?" Autumn looked from her daughter, to Murphy, to Connor, then back again. They seemed harmless enough, so she shrugged before answering.

"I suppose so." Brille squealed, hugging Murphy's leg, who seemed a little startled now.

Connor had watched the exchange with a bemused expression, intending to tease Murphy to within an inch of his life as soon as they were out of ear shot. The elevator ground to a halt at Autumn and Brille's floor, and Connor pushed the door up for them to step out.

"Be here at 7 for dinner, I guess," she told them, not really sure of the protocol for a situation like this. Connor hollered that they'd see them then before closing the elevator doors. Autumn heard the lift groaning and grinding it's way up as she was fiddling with her key in the lock. Just inside the door, Brille kicked off her shoes and dropped her coat onto the floor before scampering off into her bedroom, talking about Murphy and a tea party. Autumn chuckled, picturing the nearly six foot man hunched at her daughter's little pink-and-white table, a plastic tea cup in his hand. She picked up Brille's coat off the floor, hanging it on one of the bronze hooks that she'd screwed into the wall next to the door. She hung her own and toed out of her tennis-shoes, padding into the kitchen, thinking of what to make for dinner.

Autumn liked her little kitchen. Once she'd gotten everything efficiently arranged, it was much easier to maintain than her previous larger one. Autumn had scrubbed the kitchen many more times during the time they'd been living here, and now the linoleum and the formica counter-tops gleamed. The refrigerator was decorated with Brille's artwork, nice pictures with headers like 'Mama, Daddy and Me' and, more recently, just 'Me and Mama', written by Brille with Autumn's help. Autumn touched Gerry's childishly drawn image with just the tips of her fingers, brushing over the bright red hair, green eyes, and freckles. She shook her head and pulled away; they had company coming.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Super short chapter, sorry 'bout that. Autumn and Brille's dinner with the MacManus boys coming up next chapter. I think I'm gonna switch up p.o.v.'s in the next chapter as well. Who it'll be, who knows. I certainly don't.<strong>

**Review, if you'd like. And I really hope you'd like.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I own nothing even remotely related to the Boondock Saints.**

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><p><strong>Collide<strong>

**Chapter 4**

_**November 11, 1997**_

_**7:05 p.m.**_

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><p>Murphy MacManus was not afraid of many things. His Ma and spiders were right on the top of that short list, and they were now joined by a red-headed toddler in pig-tails. He chewed on his thumbnail as he and Conn rode the elevator down to floor 4 to Autumn and Brille's apartment. He was just a step behind his brother, as always, when they left the elevator. He tapped his fingers against his thigh as Connor knocked on the door.<p>

"Calm the fuck down, will ya?" Connor grumbled and Murphy grunted in response, but shoved his hands deep into his pockets and waited for the door to open.

It did only seconds later, Autumn drying her hands on a dish-wiper, asking them to please come in. As soon as Murphy stepped through the door, he was attacked by a tiny little tornado wearing pink overalls. He shot Connor a dirty look when he started laughing as Murphy was being drug from the room by his hand. He didn't get a chance to look around the apartment as Brille drug him into her bedroom.

"We're gonna have a tea party, Murphy." She looked at him as if she were daring him to argue. Murphy groaned. He was never going to live this down. Brille instructed him to sit on the floor at her tiny pink-and-white table, while she took up one of the chairs. Their companions for tea were a blindingly white unicorn and a yellow stuffed teddy bear. An empty porcelain tea cup was thrust into his hands, and Murphy was at a complete loss of what to do.

"Drink your tea, silly," Brille instructed him with a roll of her eyes.

"Alright then," he muttered, lifting the empty cup to his lips, then pretended to drink. Brille laughed happily, and Murphy found his lips twitching in response.

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><p>Autumn stirred the simmering red sauce on the stove, trying not to feel awkward. Connor sat at the table, feeling equally uncomfortable. Autumn cleared her throat as she lifted the pasta pot from the burner to drain the spaghetti noodles.<p>

"Is Murphy normally that good with kids?" she asked, trying to dodge the plumes of steam that rose up. Connor laughed.

"Not hardly. Kids scare Murph to death, he's probably in there right now thinking of ways he can bolt with out hurting the little one's feelings." Autumn chuckled, dumping the pasta into a large red bowl, doing the same with the sauce a few minutes later.

"Where did the two of you move from, then?" Connor asked her, eyeing a few still-unpacked boxes in the living room.

"Watertown," Autumn answered, pulling plates out of one of the cabinets.

"Not far, then."

"No, not far, but it feels like two different worlds."

"Why did you move here of all places?" Connor asked, only realizing after he spoke that it was a rather rude question.

"We had some... financial problems." Her face colored slightly, and she averted her gaze as she started setting the table.

"Hey, I didn't mean-"

"It's okay," Autumn cut across him with a forced smile. "Can you get the glasses out for me?"

"Sure." Connor pushed back from the table. "Which cabinet?" Autumn pointed him in the right direction, and he pulled 4 cups down; three tall glass cups and a small plastic cup. Autumn set the serving bowls on the table and pulled the garlic bread out of the oven, letting it cool before she sliced it.

"I'll go get Murphy and the little one then, yeah?"

"Okay, tell Brille to wash up, please." Connor nodded and moved to the apartment's only bedroom. What he saw when he poked his head through the door had him snorting with laughter. His brother, his blustery, temperamental brother, was sitting at a little girl's tea table, a tiny tea cup clutched in one of his large hands. His other hand was occupied making a white stuffed unicorn dance and sing in a high-squeaky voice, which just sounded gut-busting hilarious with his thick accent.

His attention caught by his twin's laughter, Murphy dropped the unicorn and his entire face burned bright red.

"Are you having fun there, Murph?" Connor's whole frame was shaking with laughter.

"Shut up, Conn," Murphy ground out, setting down his tea cup and hauling himself up. Brille squeaked and hopped out of her own seat, rushing over to her bedside table. She walked over to where Murphy was glaring at his brother, a scowl set on her face.

"Excuse me," she said, and Murphy looked down to see that she had a plastic jar clutched in her arms. "You said a bad word. A little bad, not a big bad. That's a nickle." Connor laughed harder at the expression on Murphy's face.

"I didn't say a bad word, Brille."

Brille set the jar down on her bedroom and put her hands on her hips, speaking in what was obviously supposed to be a grown up voice. "In this house, the SU word is a bad word," she recited, then picked up the jar again. Murphy ducked his head, and fished in his pocket for a nickle, then dropped it into the jar. As he walked passed Connor, he bumped his twin's shoulder.

"I don't know what your laughing about. Mouth like yours, you'll be broke by the end of the night." Connor sobered almost instantly.

"Whatever. Autumn says that dinner is ready. Brille, your Ma wants you to wash up first."

"Okay, but you have to too," she told them. "Let me see." She took turns looking at each of their hands, before sighing and shaking her head, and walking off to the bathroom. The three of them took turns washing up, Connor and Murphy following the tiny little girl's instructions on how to properly wash their hands.

When they walked back into the kitchen, Autumn was already sitting. She shot them a knowing smile.

"She's very, ah, precocious, isn't she?" Connor asked.

"You could say that," Autumn answered, then looked at Murphy who was seated on her right. "How was the tea party?"

He ducked his head, and muttered, "fine."

Connor sat on Autumn's left with Brille right across from her. Her daughter chattered away happily, this time about penguins, and Autumn began passing the food around.

She had a feeling that there would be two new semi-permanent fixtures in their lives now, and really, she was okay with that.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: D'awww... pure, sugary fluffiness. Don't let me lull you into a false sense of security, though. Trouble brews in the next chapter.<strong>

**I would love to hear what you are thinking of this story so far. The last chapter only generated 2 reviews (thanks to nicimarie and xPoppyx for those!), and I would love to know if this story's being enjoyed or not. If not, I'm gonna keep writing anyway, just to be hard-headed. So leave a review, and make a girl happy.**

**Oh! And be sure, if you haven't already, to check out the banner for this story. There's a link on my profile.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything even remotely related to BDS.**

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><p><strong>Collide<strong>

**Chapter 5**

_**December 7, 1997**_

Autumn had grown comfortable in her life. Every morning she would wake up absurdly early, she and Brille would dress, and their day would begin. Days at the meat-packing plant were... interesting, to say the least. She was running a station on her own, but she ate lunch with the MacManus twins daily, and they frequently came to dinner with her and Brille. Murphy was Brille's new best friend and he seemed to be uncomfortably fine with it. He did call a halt to the tea parties, though, much to mine and Connor's disappointment. Apparently, it'd been a matter of great entertainment around their place.

At the moment, Autumn was running her station- slice, pack, sanitize- when she felt eyes on her back. A quick look over her shoulder had her groaning. The only damper on things was her co-worker, Bill. Bill, apparently, was _interested _in Autumn, and obviously didn't know the meaning of the word no. Bill Walker was a middle aged man, who may have once been fit and handsome, but was now soft all over and balding. He wore thick lensed glasses, and his bulbous nose and thin lips that looked like a stretched thin rubber band pulled across his face made up his revolting package.

She'd tried to be polite at first, thinking if she treated him with casual disinterest he would eventually get the hint and go away. No such luck. He was always there with leering looks, the casual hint dropping about taking her out on a date, he'd even tried to steal a kiss in the break-room once. Fortunately for Autumn, Murphy'd been just across the room and had pulled the creep off her. He'd never attempted to kiss her again, but he still kept up with the dinner invitations, even going so far after he'd seen Brille's picture in her locker as to suggesting that they bring her daughter along.

She'd told him no fucking way in the politest way she could. Lately, his invitations had become more insistent, and her denials even more. Right now, he was leaning against the station behind hers, much to the annoyance of Ruth, the woman who ran it.

"Hey Autumn," Bill greeted with what she assumed was supposed to be a charming smile. She gave him a half grimace, half smile in response and turned back to her station. Slice, pack, sanitize. Her hands were shaking a little, and she was extremely uncomfortable with his eyes roving over her back.

"So, I was wondering..." he began, but she cut him off.

"No, Bill. I've told you no a hundred freaking times. No." She didn't bother turning to face him, but there was a rigid set to her shoulders as she worked in quick, agitated movements.

"Well that wasn't very nice," he said, an edge to his voice. Autumn didn't respond, just kept working, trying to ignore his presence. He eventually wandered away, leaving Autumn with an unsettled feeling.

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><p>Autumn rolled her eyes at Connor and Murphy and their current topic of conversation- drag queens.<p>

"I'll see you guys later," she said, standing from the table, disposing of her lunch garbage.

"Later, Autumn," Murphy said, interrupting his pondering on why-and how- a man could tuck his dick away. He just didn't understand the mechanics of it.

"Are we invited to dinner tonight?" Connor asked. Autumn laughed.

"You have to ask?" she said teasingly, then ducked into the ladies room to wash up. Washing her hands with warm water and soap, she didn't notice the person who stepped into the ladies behind her.

"Why aren't I invited to dinner, Autumn?" His voice was sickly sweet, and she felt dread settle heavy in her stomach.

"What are you doing in here, Bill?" she asked, turning around slowly, reaching for a few paper towels. He didn't seem to hear her.

"You're so fucking stuck up," he spat, closing in on her with a few, long strides. "What? I'm not fucking good enough, but those fucking _Micks _are?" Her lower back was pressed hard against the porcelain sink, and he leaned into her, bending her backward.

"Get the hell away from me," she spat, but damn it, her nerves showed in her voice, and she knew it.

"No, I don't think I will." His breath was hot against the side of her face. Bill took Autumn's chin in his hand, his fingers flat against her cheek. She fought the urge to be sick as he pressed his rubbery lips to hers, and his tongue flicked against her bottom lip. "_I _think that if you're not going to give me what I want, I'm just gonna take it." Bill pressed his lips to her neck and his palm moved to cover her mouth, taking away her ability to call out for help.

His unoccupied hand moved to cup her breast, and she could feel the dirt and grease rubbing through her clothing. The man was vile. Disgusting. Autumn struggled against him as he hand went under her shirt and pulled her bra cup down with force, and she felt and heard the material rip. His fingers pinched her nipple roughly, and she kicked against him, refusing to let the tears she could feel well up in her closed eyes fall. Bill's fingers dug into Autumn's face, and she could feel bruises already forming. His hand was moving lower, lower and Autumn was flailing and kicking, panicking when his hand was at the button of her jeans.

Then he was gone, and a fresh air was washing over her, replacing the suffocating heat and man-sweat from moments before. There was a loud crash, and Autumn opened her eyes to see Bill across the room, laying on top of the now broken plastic trash can. Connor stood above him, hands clenched into fists, chest heaving. His back was to her, and Autumn could see the rigid set of his shoulders, and she knew, just _knew _that he had Bill fixed with a glare.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Connor grabbed Bill by the front of his shirt and slammed him into the paper towel dispenser hard enough to dent the metal.

"I-I wasn't doing anythin-" he didn't get to finish. Connor's fist connected with his jaw, and Bill went down like a bag of wet cement. Autumn shakily pushed away from where she'd still been bent over the sink, and pulled her t-shirt back down to cover herself. Her breast was still exposed under her shirt where her bra had been ripped. Thankfully he hadn't gotten her jeans undone.

Connor's feet straddled Bill's chest and he grabbed him by the front of the shirt again, hauling Bill's upper body toward him. The first punch broke Bill's nose, the second added another swelling bruise to his jaw, until they blurred together, one after another. Autumn watched Connor's blood soaked fist raise again and again, until she finally stepped forward, placing a hand on Connor's shoulder.

"Connor," she said quietly. He didn't seem to hear her. "Conn," she tried again, louder. He faltered, then pushed Bill to the floor, hauling himself up. Autumn moved away from him as he turned to look at Autumn for the first time since he'd barged into the ladies room after hearing the faint sounds of struggle. Bruises were forming on her face, clear finger prints on her cheeks. Her lips were swollen and red, and she had faint, red bite marks up her neck. Rage filled him again, and he only wished that he could lay into the bastard again. He gently touched the mottled skin of her face.

"Jesus," he said, and felt his heart clench when he saw tears well in her eyes. "Are you okay, Autumn?"

She nodded, but then she took in his concerned expression, and the care for her that she saw there. "No," she whispered. His arms went around her, and she let the tears fall. He stroked her hair as she soaked his shirt with her tears, and he just held her, not saying a word. It was only a moment later when a co-worker of theirs walked into the restroom, and took in the scene that lay before her.

"Go and get Mr. Donalds," Connor told her, still holding Autumn to his chest. She turned around and left immediately, and then Mr. Donalds was there only a few minutes later.

Before Autumn knew what was going on, she was being escorted home by Connor, and paramedics were collecting Bill from the ladies room floor. When they arrived, she gave Connor her keys and he let them both into her apartment. Autumn sat heavily on her bed, and fiddled with her hands in her lap, trying not to burst into tears again. She felt the bed dip, and looked over to see Connor sitting next to her.

"Are you going to press charges?" She slowly shook her head no, still looking at her lap.

"Why the fuck not?" Connor asked.

"And have you arrested for assault? You know that bastard wouldn't hesitate to press charges of his own." Autumn shook her head. "No." Connor looked at her like he wanted to argue, but he wisely dropped it. Autumn rubbed a hand over her face wearily. "I've got to go pick up Brille," she said, making to stand up.

"Let me go and pick her up," Connor offered. "Why don't you stay here and rest for a while before she comes home?" Autumn hesitated. Brille loved Connor, and he and Murphy had walked with her after work to the day care, so they knew who he was. She nodded slowly.

"Okay. Thanks Conn."

Connor squeezed her hand and stood, giving her another once over before leaving the apartment, like he was reassuring himself that she would be okay in the short time it would take him to pick up Brille and walk back.

After the door shut, Autumn gathered up a clean set of clothes and locked herself in the bathroom. She took the hottest showered she could possibly take, and tried to scrub all thoughts of Bill Walker from her mind.

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><p>Connor drew his coat tighter around himself as he walked the blocks to Brille's day care. He was feeling a little off, and had been for a while now, especially whenever he was around Autumn. When he'd walked into the ladies room at the factory and saw that mother fucker with his hands all over her, while she kicked and flailed... the anger he'd felt in that moment was more than he'd ever felt in before in his 28 years.<p>

He pulled open the front door of All Shapes and Sizes Day Care, and looked around for Miss Beth.

"Connor!" He looked over to see Brille jump up from where she'd been building something with wooden blocks and run over to him, throwing her arms around his leg. She continued to hug his knee as he explained to Miss Beth that Autumn had had a medical emergency, and had sent him to pick her daughter up.

They left a few minutes later, Connor assuring Beth that Autumn would be alright and would drop Brille off in the morning. He lifted Brille into his arms and carried her back to the apartment building. As he listened to her yammer away, all of the anger and rage he'd been feeling earlier slowly trickled out of him, and he was smiling when he walked into the main lobby of the building.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Angry Conn in this chapter. Next chapter Christmas draws near, and could it be? Would it be? Could there possibly be feelings being developed between two of our characters? We'll just have to wait and see.<strong>

**Drop me a review, share the love, make me feel fluffy. Or, if you hated it, let me know that, as well.**

**Oh! And I've posted a Walking Dead fic called 'Act Nice and Gentle', so if zombies are your thing (and Norman Reedus as a redneck asshole), go check it out.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I own nothing even remotely related to BDS.**

**Author's Note: So, I was wrong at the end of last chapter. Christmas isn't nearing in 6, it's already here. Thanks to my beta wonderful beta, nicimarie. **

**So here you go, a little Christmas in summer time.**

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><p><strong>Collide<strong>

**Chapter 6**

**December 25, 1997**

Christmas time in South Boston was dreary, to say the least. Cloudy and gray; icy cold slush lined the streets and sidewalks, it was best to tread carefully. This un-festive atmosphere would bring you down if you let it, and suck the cheer right out of you. But, while the outside world was painted in dismal colors, the tiny loft apartment where the dark haired woman with the crystal blue eyes and her vivacious three-soon-to-be-four daughter lived was decorated to the point of ridiculousness. A Christmas tree, presented to them by the MacManus twins stood in one corner of their main living space, it's branches heavy with multi-colored lights and every ornament Brille had been able to get her hands on. Garland and even more lights were around the apartments only window, while different garland (silver-and-red) hung around the front door, Brille's bedroom door, even the bathroom door. Even the kitchen didn't escape the whirlwind of Christmas cheer with bright and colorful Christmas drawings (done by Brille's own hand) hung from the fridge and the cabinets.

In the living area, statuettes of snowmen and women and Mr. and Mrs. Claus stood on the end tables that flanked their blue sofa, and more decorated the top of the television that sat directly across from it. The partition that separated Autumn's 'bedroom' from the rest of the apartment was strung with lights. Autumn and Brille had spent an entire day, two weeks before Christmas, decorating the apartment, Autumn allowing Brille to do most of it. When Connor and Murphy had first seen the fruits of their labor, Murphy had declared that it was so bright he was 'fuckin' blind' for a good ten minutes. His slip had cost him a dollar that was added to Brille's swear jar which, since addition of the twins to their lives, was filling up rather quickly.

The incident with Bill Walker a few weeks previously was still fresh in Autumn's mind, but she tried to not let herself think of it often. When Connor had dropped Brille off after picking her up, the little girl had noticed the bruises marring her mother's face, but Autumn had just told her that she'd had an accident at work. Brille had proceeded to 'kiss it better' by peppering her mother's face with slobbery, little girl kisses. Bill had, obviously, been fired, and Autumn thankfully hadn't seen hide nor hair of him since. He was probably too terrified to come within a three block radius of her, thanks to Connor.

This morning, though, Autumn wasn't thinking about any of that. It was Christmas morning, and she'd been drug out of bed at a ridiculous hour by her excited daughter jumping up and down on her. She'd tried to wheedle a little extra time by telling Brille that she needed at least one cup of coffee before present time, but when the tiny ginger-girl's bottom lip began to quiver, she'd given in. So here they were, sitting indian-style in front of their blindingly bright Christmas tree and Autumn was handing Brille her first gift. Christmas this year was a sparse one, Autumn's income from the packing plant was not exactly stellar, but she'd managed to purchase a few things for her daughter. While it was nothing compared to their previous Christmases, Brille didn't seem to mind, and squealed with delight after she opened a brand-new Cabbage Patch doll. Autumn herself received a lovely macaroni-necklace and a handmade card, both of which Brille had created at day care.

After all the gifts had been opened, and Brille had dug her way through and inspected her stocking, they sat amongst the shredded wrapping paper and watched one of Brille's new videos, Brille snuggled down in Autumn's lap.

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><p>Bags filled with destroyed wrapping paper were by the door, and Brille sat in the middle of the living room rug, still in her pajamas, playing with her new doll, which she'd named 'Apples'. It didn't matter that the doll had come with it's little birth certificate, already named, Brille had decided that the dolls head, with it's chubby cheeks and red hair, looked like an apple. It was well into the afternoon and Autumn was in her kitchen, preparing a small Christmas dinner. The ham was in the oven, the sweet-potatoes and green bean casserole were ready to go in. Autumn stood at the counter, pounding out biscuit dough, her arms, face and the front of her shirt covered in flour.<p>

There was a knock at the door as she was rolling her dough out, and Autumn cursed lowly (receiving a shocked gasp from Brille, who ran to her room, presumably to get the swear-jar) then wiped her hands on her dish-wiper, before going to answer the door. Connor and Murphy stood on the other side, dressed nicer than she'd seen before. They were both in jeans, of course, but they wore matching dark gray sweaters and she could see the dark, smooth beads of their rosaries disappearing into their shirts. Her eyes lingered on Connor for a moment too long, taking in his freshly-showered, freshly-shaved appearance. Autumn colored slightly when she realized that she'd been staring, even if it was only for a moment, and stood back from the door to let them in.

"Merry Christmas, guys," she said as they walked inside, and she shut the door behind them.

"Merry Christmas, Autumn," Connor returned, giving her a smile that showed a flash of white teeth against perpetually-tanned skin, and it made something flutter in her middle. She tried to push the feeling away, because that _certainly _was never going to happen. She and Connor were just friends. Lately though, she couldn't stop the giddy feeling she got whenever she was around him. _Get ahold of yourself, woman, _she thought.

"Yeah," she heard Murphy say, "Merry Christmas." He lifted two plastic shopping bags that he had in his hand that had ribbon wrapped around them.

"You can put those under the tree," she said. Then they were all distracted by a loud squeal and a flurry of red hair and green flannel pajamas.

"Murphy! Connor!" Brille hugged each of them in turn with one arm, her swear jar firmly gripped in the other. "Merry Christmas!" She was bouncing up and down quickly, and Autumn decided that she'd had quite enough of her Christmas candy. "Murphy! Come and see Apples! She looks almost _just _like me!" Then Murphy was being drug away by his hand, and Connor and Autumn were left alone by the door. They looked at each other, then quickly away. Autumn cleared her throat then bustled back to the kitchen, Connor not far behind her. He poured himself a cup of coffee from the half empty pot and sat at the table while Autumn went back to work on her biscuits. She cut circles in the dough with a small drinking glass and slid them onto a greased baking sheet. After she picked up her own mug of coffee, she put them in the oven, then sat across from Connor. Their eyes met again, and both looked down at the mugs in front of them. Connor cleared this throat and started fiddling with the handle of his mug.

"So, do you guys have any other plans today?" Autumn asked, still looking down.

"Aye," Connor answered, "we're going down to McGinty's after dinner. Doc's got the place closed for the holiday, but we go there every year; me, Murph and Rocco." Autumn had heard them speak of Doc and Rocco before, but not much had been said, and she had yet to meet either of them.

"Tell me about them," she asked, looking up at Connor in time to see him smile again.

"Both characters, that's for sure," he told her. "Doc he's got -what's it called?- Tourette's, yeah, that's it." Autumn choked a little on the drink she'd been taking.

"You're kidding," she said, hand on her chest as she spluttered a bit. Connor laughed and shook his head, taking a drink of his own.

"Not a bit," he said after he swallowed. "Sweetest man you'll ever meet, but some of the things that come out of his mouth... Well, let's just say that Brille's little jar over there would be filled to the brim in the first hour." At this, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Brille's head pop up, then heard the tell-tale clank of the change in said jar come near them. Autumn groaned, remembering her slip-up earlier.

"Mama," Brille said, holding the jar out to her. "You know what you said." Autumn repressed a laugh as she pushed back from the table, and went to her purse that was hanging from one of the hooks from the door. She dug out three quarters, and dropped them into the jar. Connor and Murphy both saw the amount, and laughed loudly, glad that it wasn't them for once. With a tiny sniff, Brille turned and took the jar back to her room before returning to her play in the living room.

Murphy'd managed to escape and was standing at the kitchen counter pouring his own cup of coffee. He joined Autumn and Connor at the table.

"What about Rocco?" Autumn asked.

"Rocco, you'd have to meet him to understand," Murph said. "He's one who can't be explained with words." Just then, Autumn's kitchen timer went off, and she stood from the table again to remove something from the oven before it had a chance to burn.

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><p>With full stomachs, Connor and Murphy left Autumn's apartment, both proudly wearing the macaroni bracelets Brille had made them for Christmas. They both turned up the collars of their coats before they stepped out of the apartment building, shivering as cold wind wrapped around them. Murphy absently kicked at a mound of slush that'd built up just outside the door as Connor lit two cigarettes, handing one to Murphy. They headed down the street toward their favorite drinking establishment.<p>

"You're such a fuckin' pussy, you know that?" Murphy said to Connor, who looked at his brother in surprise.

"The fuck are you talkin' about?"

"You know what I'm talkin' about." At Connor's still blank expression, Murphy sighed. "Autumn, dipshit. Why haven't you said anything to her yet?"

"I talk to her all the time, the fuck are you on about?" The tip of Murphy's cigarette burned bright red, smoke curling up as he brought it away from his mouth.

"You like her, admit it," he said, letting smoke trail from his nostrils.

"Fuck you, Murph," Connor grumbled, nudging his brother's shoulder with his own. Murphy laughed.

"She likes you too, you know." Connor rounded on his brother, stopping him in his tracks.

"She say that?" he demanded. Murphy just shrugged and sidled around Connor, continuing to walk down the street, this time whistling 'Jingle Bells' as he walked.

"Murphy, get your ass back here!" Connor yelled, catching up to him. "Did she fuckin' say that?" He still received no answer but a smug little smile, and he ground his teeth together, flicking his cigarette into a pile of slush. "You're a dick, you fuckin' know that, right?"

"Yeah, but unfortunately for you, you're stuck with me." Murphy shoved his twin playfully.

They reached McGinty's, ignoring the sign that was flipped to closed, and stepped inside, the familiar warmth and smell of liquor greeting them as the door closed behind them.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Feelin's are a brewin'. Next chapter, New Years Eve. Any one have any guesses about what'll happen at midnight?<strong>

**Also, if you're worried that this is too OC oriented, too slow, not enough action, fret not. The action will come, and cousin, there'll be plenty of it. I just want to get characters in place, relationships firmly rooted, and plots thrown down.**

**Leave me some review lovin'. Some beautifully, dirty review lovin'. Also, don't forget to check out my Walking Dead fic, Act Nice and Gentle.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to BDS.**

**Author's Note: New Year's Eve chapter, hope it doesn't disappoint. My fic life-partner lifelesslyndsey beta'd, only because I'm an impatient bitch and my lovely nicimarie let's me beta-whore around a little bit, then come groveling back to her. I love all of the reviews, alerts and favorites this little thing is generating, keep it up! Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Collide<strong>

**Chapter 7**

**December 31, 1997-January 1, 1998**

_All Shapes and Sizes_ daycare was a store-front affair that sat right smack in the middle of Broad St. When you walked in, you were confronted by rainbows of color, walls of child-drawn art work, and the smell of drying glue, cookies and fruit juice. Bins upon bins of toys lined the walls, and there was a T.V. anchored to a cart pushed up against one wall.

Autumn, fresh off her shift at the packing plant, sat at a tiny table, across from Miss Beth, the woman who ran the daycare. Beth was a little woman, only barely topping 5', and thin as a whip. She had sandy blonde hair that fell shoulder length, and a pleasant face with laugh lines ebbing out from her brown eyes. Brille absolutely loved her, and this was the main reason Autumn had stayed an extra few minutes to speak with her.

"I don't know how I let them talk me into this," Autumn groaned. She pulled her hair-tie out and ran her fingers through her hair.

"What's the big deal?" Beth asked. "It's just a night out."

"A night out?" Autumn said with a little laugh. "I haven't had a night out since before Brille was born."

"All the more reason to go, Autumn. Enjoy yourself for once."

Autumn sighed. "You're right. You really don't mind keeping Brille?"

"Not at all. Just drop her off around eight or so. We'll have fun."

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><p>When Autumn and Brille arrived home, it was a little after six. Autumn made a quick dinner and packed an overnight bag for Brille to take to Beth's house.<p>

Now she stood in front of her dresser, looking down into the drawer of neatly folded tops. She hadn't felt this... girly in years. Even before Gerry died there wasn't much call to go out; they mostly stayed at home, just enjoying each other and their family. There were butterflies in her stomach as she thought about how Connor had looked all spiffed up on Christmas, and she wanted to look nice tonight.

Autumn pulled out two, one dark blue and very low cut, the other candy-apple red that put the neckline of the blue one to shame. She shook her head and put the red one back in her drawer. Not exactly the message she was trying to send. She pulled out a pair of clean dark-wash jeans and after making sure the door was locked and Brille was settled with cartoons, she retreated into the bathroom to take a quick shower.

Wrapped in a towel, with another wrapped around her head, Autumn pulled out her dusty makeup kit. She couldn't recall the last time she'd worn makeup. She didn't over do it this time either, just a little bit of blush, some smokey eye make up and a tiny touch of color on her lips. Brille came into the bathroom as she was drying her hair, climbing up to sit on the closed toilet to watch her mother get ready. Autumn let her dark hair hang loose and it fell to just passed her shoulder blades.

Brille followed Autumn as she went to dig out a pair of black heels and her nicer jacket.

"You look so pretty, Mama," Brille said to her. Autumn smiled and pulled her daughter in for a hug.

"Thank you, baby. Are you excited to stay with Miss Beth?"

"Yes!" Brille answered. "I love Miss Beth, almost as much as I love Murph." Brille frowned, her tiny eyebrows drawing together, then she leaned in to whisper to Autumn. "But don't tell him that." Autumn laughed.

"I won't. Now let's go, we don't want to keep Miss Beth waiting, do we?"

"Nope!" Brille pulled her winter boots on, and Autumn bundled her up in her thick coat. After pulling on her own black jacket, she shouldered Brille's overnight bag, and they left the apartment, heading for Beth's on the other side of town.

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><p><strong>December, 31<strong>

**8:30 pm**

Brille's excitement over staying overnight at Beth's might have hurt Autumn's feelings if it weren't for her nervousness over the night ahead of her. As she'd told Beth, she hadn't gone out for fun since before Brille was born, outside of the usual kiddie play land, family fun places. Her husband had been a hardworking man, and by the time he'd walk through their door after work he hadn't had much energy left. He spent his nights after work playing with their young daughter and after she went to bed, they would curl up on the couch together, and just relax.

Autumn shook her head; she couldn't think about Gerry tonight, not with the way her nerves were fluttering, and who they were fluttering over. Connor. Whenever she thought of Gerry and Connor at the same time, there was a certain level of guilt in the back of her mind. Even though her husband had been dead for so long, she still didn't feel right thinking of other men romantically. She knew that it was silly, and probably normal, to feel that way, but tonight she was determined to enjoy herself, not spend the entire time wrestling with guilty feelings.

When she arrived at her apartment building, she went immediately to the boy's apartment, one floor above her own. Autumn knocked, then stood back, waiting for them to answer. She could hear scuffling, a thump, then a loud "Fuck!" before the door opened to reveal an out of breath and grinning Murphy.

"Hello there, Autumn, don't you look lovely this evening?" He stepped back, and let her in with a flourish of his hand. The twin's apartment was much shabbier than hers, but she mostly put that up to their bachelor statuses. Pizza boxes and empty cases of beer were stacked next to the trash can that was set next to the table. They had two mattresses on the floor, right next to the other, each with threadbare sheets and thick down comforters. Nothing adorned their walls, but Autumn had to smile when she saw a picture that Brille had drawn hanging from the fridge.

Connor was busy picking himself up off the floor, where it looked like he'd fallen over the coffee table. His face was red, and he glared at his brother before greeting Autumn.

"Hey, Autumn," he said, offering her a small, nervous smile which she returned, mumbling a greeting of her own. Murphy rolled his eyes at the both of them and slapped Connor in the back of the head.

"Hey! Fucker," Connor shoved passed his brother to pick up his black pea coat up off the couch. Autumn looked between the two of them confused, but she was used to being slightly out of the loop where the twins were concerned.

"Let's go," Murphy was chomping at the bit to get out the door and down to the bar. "C'mon, Rocco's waiting."

"So I finally get to meet Rocco tonight?" Autumn asked.

"Yep," Connor answered, falling into step beside her as they walked away from their apartment building. Autumn drew her coat closer around her against the chill.

"Oh boy," she said. "How exciting. So where are we going?"

"McGinty's," they said together.

"Do you guys ever go anywhere else?" They both stopped in their tracks, looking at her strangely.

"Of course not," Murphy said.

"Why would we do that?" Connor asked.

Autumn just shrugged and continued walking, wishing that she'd worn more sensible shoes. The thought was forced to the front of her mind again seconds later when she slipped on a patch of ice, her feet flying up in the air. She would have hit pavement, and possibly hurt herself, if Connor hadn't caught her. He steadied her, not saying a word, but when she looked back at him after regaining her footing, he was smirking at her. She rolled her eyes, and they walked the few blocks to McGinty's, Autumn holding onto Connor's arm.

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><p><strong>December 31<strong>

**9:30 pm**

Autumn was squished into a booth, Connor on one side, Murphy on the other. Her hands were wrapped around a glass of some type of dark beer, but she was distracted by Connor brushing against her every few seconds. The side of his arm would brush the side of her breast, and she'd squirm a little, bumping her leg with his. Even she knew that this was getting to the point of ridiculousness, and if he didn't make a move soon, the alcohol in her system would make her do it for him.

Rocco sat across from them, cigarette dangling between his lips, face lost in his wild tangle of hair. His bulbous nose parted the curtain of hair, and she could see the smile that played around his lips. He lit his cigarette, took a long drag, and shook the hair out of his face, blowing a stream of smoke up into the air.

"Okay," Rocco said, "so, a man and a wife go to their honeymoon hotel on their 25th anniversary, right?"

"Roc," Connor warned from beside her. Autumn looked at Connor confused for a second, then turned back to Rocco to hear the rest of his story. Rocco just spared Connor a look before continuing.

"Anyway," Rocco said, "as the couple reflected o that magical evening 25 years ago, the wife asked the husband, '_when you first saw my naked body in front of you, what was going through your mind?" _to which the husband replied, '_all I wanted to do was fuck your brains out, and suck your tits dry.' _"

Unfortunately for Autumn, she'd chosen that moment to take a drink. Beer sprayed from her mouth, covering the table and Rocco in the process, who just sat there, beer dripping from his hair and the end of his nose.

"Then, as the wife undressed, she asked, '_what are you thinking now?' _The husband replied, _'looks as if I did a damn good job.'_"

Autumn stared, hand pausing across her mouth where she'd been wiping at the beer that was dribbling there. Then, much to Murphy and Connor's surprise, she laughed. She laughed so hard she doubled over at the table, slapping her palm against the scarred wooden surface. Rocco's face lit up, and he pushed back from the table, moving to the bar to grab a clean towel to clean the mess up with.

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><p><strong>December 31<strong>

**11:02 pm**

They'd abandoned the booth in favor of the long, low bar that stretched across the right side of the building. Autumn sat on one of the high stools, Connor and Murphy once again flanking her, like they were scared someone would make off with her if they left her alone for a second. She brought her glass to her lips, finish off her beer. She'd lost count a while ago, and was feeling pretty damned good. Doc slid another across the bar toward her, and she gave him a bright smile.

"Thanks, Doc."

"N-no problem, lass. FUCK! ASS!" Autumn felt more than heard Connor chuckle next to her.

"Havin' fun?" he asked, leaning close to be heard over the noise. Autumn nodded, sipping at her beer. Connor sent her a grin that set the butterflies in her stomach rioting, then stuck a cigarette between his lips, lighting it up with a quick flick of his lighter. Autumn had never smoked a day in her life, but there was just something about a smoking man that she loved. She wasn't sure what it was, but right at the moment, she wasn't going to examine it too closely.

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><p><strong>December 31<strong>

**11:59 pm**

Everyone was watching the clock as the second hand ticked around to midnight. At ten seconds till, half the bar patrons began counting down, but Autumn was more distracted by Connor's arm which had found it's way around her waist a few minutes before. She leaned against him, already well passed drunk. She could feel the muscles in his arm through his sweater. As the seconds ticked down, two until, Connor touched her cheek, and she turned to look at him just as everyone shouted _'Happy New Year!' _and Connor's lips descended upon hers.

Autumn returned the kiss with fervor, throwing her arms around Connor's neck, pulling herself as close to him as she possibly could. His lips were soft, much softer than she expected, and she barely registered when Murphy muttered, "Fuckin' finally," from beside them. Connor heard him as well, and pulled away from her long enough to shove his inebriated twin off his barstool. Murphy went down with a shout, but by the time he'd corrected himself, Connor and Autumn were attached at the lips once more, and he wasn't about to interrupt again. Not so much out of fear of Connor, but of Autumn. The girl had been hard up for his brother, and now that something was finally going to happen, he didn't want to risk his manhood by pissing her off.

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><p><strong>January 1, 1998<strong>

**3:36 am**

Autumn was one who apparently couldn't hold her drink. She'd tried her hardest to keep up with Connor and Murph, but failed miserably. Now she was propped between them as they stumbled the few blocks between McGinty's and their apartment building. Her head lolled, and she was already snoring by the time Connor supported her full weight so Murphy could dig her keys out of her jacket pocket. They managed to get her inside and to her bed, slipping her ridiculous heels off before retreating to their own apartment.

"'Bout time you made a move," Murphy said as he shoved Connor through the door.

"Fuck off, Murph," Connor grumbled, stumbling to his mattress, collapsing fully clothed on top of it.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Connor got him some smoochin' action. Leave me a review, let me know. Did it disappoint? Did you love it?<strong>

**Don't forget, if you haven't already, to check out the marvelous graphic for this fic, link is on my profile.**

**Also, if it's your cup 'o tea, check out my Walking Dead fic, Act Nice and Gentle. (There's also a link to _that _brand spankin' new graphic on my profile.)**

**'Till next time!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I own nothing even remotely related to The Boondock Saints.**

**Author's Note: Sorry for the small delay, I got all kinds of side tracked working on my outtake for AN&G. I've a deal for you-all at the bottom. Muchos Gracias to nicimarie for beta'ing.**

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><p><strong>Collide<strong>

**Chapter 8**

**January 1, 1998**

Blurred sunlight filtered through the tan partition as Autumn slowly opened her eyes. She felt like hell, and probably looked even worse. She was still wearing her clothes from the night before, and couldn't even remember coming home. But since she was still intact and perfectly unharmed, she figured that the boys must have brought her home and put her to bed. She smiled at the thought, she was lucky to have met them. Autumn covered her mouth to stifle a big yawn, and when her fingers touched her lips, she remembered. Last night, and Connor, and a toe-curling kiss. A slight blush touched her cheeks, and she smiled.

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><p><strong>January 18, 1998<strong>

Autumn and Connor's relationship since New Years had shifted. Small touches, stolen kisses, and brief glances that gave Autumn a little thrill. They hadn't been able to take anything any further, but tonight would be their first official date. Autumn felt silly just thinking about it. She felt giddy, like a teenage girl going to her first unchaperoned movie. Autumn shook her head at herself, running a brush through her hair.

It was Saturday, and Connor was supposed to be here any minute. Brille was happy as a little clam- she got to spend the evening with Murph, and was already talking makeovers. Autumn thought that maybe she should warn him, but figured that it would be much funnier to remain silent. There was a knock at the door, and Brille flew to it, pulling on the handle, but she wasn't strong enough yet to open it. Autumn followed to help, and opened the door for the twins.

Autumn and Connor were leaving the apartment as Murphy was being drug off by a very excited Brille. They held hands as they walked down the street, and Autumn smiled when Connor lead her to Grill Seekers, her and Brille's favorite diner. They slid into a booth, sitting across from each other. Autumn smiled up at him as she was pulling her arms out of her coat. Sally the waitress came around and took their orders, tucking her short pencil into her bee-hive up-do as she walked away.

"Well this is certainly new," Autumn commented. "Being alone," she elaborated when Connor gave her a confused look.

"That it is," he said with a small laugh. Autumn looked down into her coffee mug, twirling the spoon around with her finger. The air between them was awkward, but that was almost expected when they were so used to Murphy and Autumn's vivacious three year old running around. Sally delivered their food, and Autumn smiled when her meatloaf was set in front of her, remembering the first time she'd tried to make it. Brille had only been a few months old, and she remembered feeling guilty over not cooking for Gerry more than she had been. He, of course, never said anything, because that was just the kind of man he'd been.

"What's funny?" Connor asked after swallowing a bite of his own food.

"I was just thinking about the first time I tried to make meatloaf." she told him. "It was a disaster."

"I find that hard to believe," he said. "You're a wonderful cook." Autumn laughed and shook her head.

"I am now. Back then, though," she shook her head again, "not so much."

"Tell me about it," Connor urged, so she did, telling him all about being horrified over having to smush it with her hands, then forgetting that it was even in the oven, which resulted in a grease fire. The entire house had been filled with smoke, and it'd smelled like charred meat for weeks. When Gerry had come home from work, he'd panicked, thinking that the house was burning down, and found Autumn in the kitchen, fire extinguisher pointed at the oven. He'd laughed hysterically, faking a panic every time Autumn suggested meatloaf for dinner after that.

"Where is he now, your husband?"

Autumn blanched, looking down to fiddle with her fork in her potatoes. She'd never said anything to Connor or Murhpy about her husband; they just knew that he wasn't there.

"He... died," she said quietly. "Two years ago." Connor's hand covered her own, and she dropped her fork, looking up, but still not at him.

"What happened?"

"He was mugged on his way home. He'd taken a night to go out with his buddies, and I guess he didn't have enough money, or the guy panicked, or something, but he was shot, stomach wound. He died at the hospital." Autumn pushed her plate away, appetite gone.

"I'm sorry," Connor murmured, and his voice was so gentle the Autumn finally looked at him, twining their fingers together on the table top. She forced a smile.

"Let's not talk about this anymore, okay? This is a date, we're supposed to have fun," she reminded him.

"Right, fun..." Connor trailed off, thinking. "Want to go to McGinty's?" he asked. Autumn shook her head.

"Not tonight, buddy. Want to go to a movie?"

Connor's face lit up. "They've got a James Bond festival going on at the MoviePlex," he told her. Autumn laughed.

"Alright, then, Mr. Romantic. Let's go watch 007."

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><p>Murphy could only be glad that Connor wasn't here to see this. That was the <em>only <em>upside to this bleedin' situation he found himself in. He was sitting on the floor in the living room of Autumn and Brille's apartment, eyes closed as Brille slathered her mother's make-up all over his face. He figured that Autumn would be pissed, but he also figured that with the way Brille talked, she'd known before hand what her evil daughter had been planning. Small revenges. He'd take them where he could.

Brille had already pulled his hair into painful, short pony-tails, and after a few more swipes with the lipstick, she declared him beautiful. He opened his eyes, which were stiff with caked make up, and Brille scuttled back to her bedroom.

"Wait right there!" she called over her shoulder. He did and she came running back a few moments later, plastic tiara clutched in her hands. She slammed it down on his head, the little plastic pieces digging into his scalp. He thought that this had to be punishment for something. Smoking, maybe. Or cursing too much.

"Oh Murphy!" she exclaimed. "You're the prettiest princess ever! 'Cept for me, of course. And Mama." Brille patted his cheek, and smiled her gapped smile at him. Murphy found himself smiling despite his discomfort. He convinced Brille that it was time to change into her pajamas and settle down to watch a movie. While she was distracted, he snuck away to the bathroom, grimacing at his reflection. He looked like a drag queen on her worst day, his hair sticking out every which way, face slathered with make-up. Murphy pulled all of the hair-ties out, and flattened his hair as much as he could with the palm of his hand. He used something in the medicine cabinet labeled 'make-up remover' to wash his face, and then he walked back into the living room to find Brille fast asleep on the couch. Murphy eased himself down on the opposite end, taking care not to jostle her, and found himself tiredly watching _The Jungle Book. _

Murphy could drink any man under the table, kick-ass in a bar fight and wake up smiling about it the next morning, but he just could not keep up with a three-year old little girl. He nodded off to sleep, not even waking when Autumn and Connor let themselves in a few hours later.

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><p><strong>Okay, so, here's my deal. The person who gives me the 15th review for this chapter, gets a one-shot. Winners choice of pairing, prompt, ect. 1.5k word one-shot. Sound good? I think so.<strong>

**Also, the last part of this chapter was inspired by a photo, and I'll throw a link for that up on my profile.**


	9. Chapter 9

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing related to BDS._**

**_Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. I do believe this mini-chapter will more than make up for it. We're only one chapter away from catching up with the movie here, and I hope you enjoy it. Thanks to the lady formerly known as nicimarie, calltheangels, for cracking her super-beta whip over this chapter. _**

**_Warning: This chapter earns the M rating. _**

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><p><strong><em>Collide<em>**

**_Chapter 9_**

**_February 4, 1998_**

It had been a wonderful evening. They'd taken Brille out to a movie, and had gone to dinner- finally somewhere different than their favorite greasy-spoon spot. Now Brille was tucked into bed, sound asleep, and Connor and Autumn were sitting on the couch in her living room, watching The Silence of the Lambs.

Autumn was tucked into Connor's side, feeling rather content. His thumb drew patterns on her palm, and her head rested on his shoulder. Autumn listened to his deep, even breaths, and just as Dr. Lecter scared the holy bejezus out of Clarice on the screen, she leaned up and gave Connor a lingering kiss, relishing in the fact that she could. The kiss quickly grew heated, and Autumn twisted herself to press against him as tightly as she could. After a few moments, she disentangled herself and stood, tugging on his hand. He stood and she pulled him to her partitioned off bedroom, turning to sit on the bed.

Now that she had him here, the butterflies in Autumn's stomach took over, and she found herself blushing, looking down at the floor. It had been such a very long time...

Luckily, Connor was paying attention, and decided to take over. He knelt on the floor in front of her, his knees sinking into the plush rug Autumn had laid in her bedroom, and used a finger to tilt her chin up, covering her lips with his again. Autumn felt her courage seep back into her through his gentle ministrations, and she let her hands roam. Up and over his muscled chest, running over broad shoulders and down his back. Her mouth quirked when his stomach muscles bunched as she slipped her hands underneath his sweater. Autumn pushed it up and up, breaking the kiss to pull it over his head.

Connor let his head fall back as her lips strayed to his neck, and his hands worked on successfully removing her gray t-shirt. He lightly pushed against her, and Autumn fell back onto the bed, surprising herself when she just smiled coyly at him as he climbed onto the bed, instead of the blush that would have normally stained her cheeks. Connor's hand cupped her breast through the cotton of her bra as he settled a knee between her legs, stroking his thumb lightly over her nipple. Autumn wanted him like mad, and she could _feel _just how much he wanted her. She could tell that he was surprised when she nipped at his bottom lip and began tugging on the button of his jeans. Connor pulled away and looked at her for a brief moment, and must have been reassured by whatever he saw there, because he unfastened Autumn's jeans with nimble fingers, working them down and off her legs.

Clothes were tossed to the floor and there was a fumble of limbs as they scrambled their way under the covers. Connor kissed her, slow and deep, his hands sinking low to explore. Autumn's breath caught in her throat as he caressed a long-ignored part of her, and she kissed him harder. Then his hands were gone, and he was easing himself inside of her, and Autumn pulled back from the kiss, biting hard on her bottom lip.

It'd been so long, and her body wasn't used to the intrusion. Connor's brow furrowed when he saw the discomfort on her face.

"Are you okay? D'you want me to stop?" he asked in a husky voice. It would nearly kill him to do so, but if she didn't want this...

"No, for the love of God, don't stop," she breathed, "It's just... it's been a... while."

He nodded in understanding, and kept his pace slow. Soon after, Autumn relaxed, and gave herself over to pleasure.

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><p>It was sometime later, and Connor was holding a sleeping, still very naked, Autumn in his arms. He'd had to restrain himself several times from leaping out of bed and doing a very manly victory dance, but he had a feeling that Autumn wouldn't see the humor. He was feeling very smug- he'd put many, many smiles on his girl's face that night- and he was feeling very... content. Something he hadn't felt in quite a long time. Since they'd left Ireland.<p>

Someday he'd take Autumn and Brille there so they could see where he was from, meet him and Murphy's Ma...

_Getting a little ahead of yourself, aren't you? _he asked he was. But there was a feeling here that had never been there before with any other woman he'd dated. And thinking of Ma, she was going to kill him for not calling her sooner and telling her about Autumn.

Right now wasn't the time for phone calls, though, as Connor settled further into the bed, resting his chin in Autumn's dark hair.

_I'll call tomorrow... maybe..._ Connor thought as he drifted off to sleep.

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><p><em><strong>There. I give you lemon, you give me reviews. Fair trade, yes? Gimmie, gimmie. Do it, and I will give you cookies. <strong>_

_**OH! and, no one got the 15th review for last chapter for the one-shot, so let's try again in this chapter, yes? **_


	10. Chapter 10

_Disclaimer : I own nothing related to BDS._

**_Author's Note: So sorry for the delay. I was having a few technical difficulties, and I hope you'll forgive me. This chapter is short, almost short enough to make me scuttle and hide into the cave 'o shame, but it's just to set us up for the next chapter, where the story will catch up with the movie. _**

**_New and improved chapter, edited by calltheangels quickly before she dissapeared. Same stuff, just all prettyfied._**

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><p><strong><em>Collide<em>**

**_Chapter 10_**

**_March 1, 1998_**

Connor had a migraine. It wasn't his first, by far- living with Murphy had it's cons, too- but it was his worst. He was slumped on the couch of his apartment, but he could still hear the screaming of the children, could still see the dimly lit room with the brightly flashing machines. He'd been introduced to a new level of hell today, and he was exhausted, mentally and physically. Connor had leaned a very important lesson today, one that he was not likely to ever forget.

Children's birthday parties were torture. Murphy had been visibly drawn when he'd stumbled out of the apartment only a few minutes after they'd arrived home, going who knew where.

The rough plaid couch grated against Connor's bare back- he was beginning to prefer spending his time at Autumn's place, with her soft furniture, not to mention her soft self. He looked around he and Murph's apartment. _Always cleaner, too, _he thought to himself as he took in the discarded beer cans and take out boxes. By the time the thought that Autumn may have started rubbing off on him crossed his mind, Connor had pulled a few big black trash bags from their box underneath the sink, and was filling them with trash.

Connor had set the bags by the door, and had the broom that he didn't even know they had in his hands, sweeping the bare concrete floor when he heard the door open.

"What the fuck are you doin'?" Murphy asked, pausing in the door way, pizza box in one hands, case of cheap beer in the other.

"The fuck does it look like? Cleanin'."

Murphy shut the door behind him and sat the food and beer on the table. "...Why?"

Connor just shrugged and finished sweeping the floor. The apartment was the cleanest it'd been, probably since they moved in. Murphy was on his third slice when Connor plopped down into a beat up kitchen chair and swiped one for himself. Murph sent a beer his way, and he popped the tab, taking a long drink.

"Ran into Roc," Murph said around a mouthful of pizza, "said he had some business to take care of, then he'd stop by."

The thought was kind of sobering. Rocco was a package boy/numbers runner for the Italian Mafia, and it caused the twins more than a little worry over their closest friend. They understood though; Roc had been sucked in, young and desperate, and it wasn't like you just gave the Mob your two weeks notice and walked away scott-free.

Connor and Murphy were well on their way to drunk and wrestling over the television remote when Rocco knocked and walked into the apartment. He laughed at his two friends, reached in the open case to grab a beer, and walked over to the two of them, snatching the remote out of Murphy's hand.

"Hey!"

"Fuck you!"

Rocco laughed and plopped down on the couch, flipping on the television, landing on some stupid cartoon. Connor picked himself up off the floor, reached into the case of Budweiser, and pulled out another can, cracking it open, taking a long drink.

A few hours later, the pizza was gone, the beer was gone, and Connor was passed out cold on the cement floor. The apartment was trashed again, empty beer cans and pizza crusts tossed everywhere.

One floor below, Autumn was having trouble sleeping. A movie droned on in front of where she was stretched out on the couch. Her muscles were sore from the long day she'd had, and her mind was all over the place. She was telling herself that if she wasn't careful, she could very well fall in love with a man like Connor, who'd braved a four-year-old's birthday party just for her.

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><p><strong><em>Leave me a review, leave me some feedback. Everyone ready for the next chapter? A little Saint Patty's Day in September, and trouble brews! <em>**


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